Marquette athletic director endorses Butler for new league

Marquette athletic director Larry Williams endorsed Butler as part of the new league the Golden Eagles are forming with six other members of the Big East.

"This is just me speaking," Williams said Thursday, "but I believe they share the same values we do."

Williams made his comments as Mike Gousha's guest at Gousha's On the Issues forum at Marquette Law School.

Williams recalled listening to a radio commentator who disagreed with Butler's decision to have its players going to class on the day it played for the national championship in Indianapolis. Williams said he disagreed with the commentator to the point that he almost drove his car off the road.

It also helps, as Williams said, that Butler, like Marquette, "is committed to elite-level basketball." The Bulldogs, who have been in two of the last three Final Fours, was ranked No. 9 before losing Wednesday night to La Salle in an Atlantic 10 game. Butler beat Marquette this season in Maui on a last-second shot.

"For the record, I did not say Butler is going to be part of the new conference," Williams told the capacity audience inside the law school's auditorium.

The seven breakaway Big East schools are all Catholic institutions. Butler isn't, but Williams said Butler would be a match in terms of core values.

The new league, which will eventually have 10 to 12 members, is also looking at Xavier, Creighton, St. Louis, Dayton and others.

Williams hinted the new league might begin play a year from this fall. He said all the new schools would like to begin competition in this fall but legal issues with the Big East could hold up the process for two years. Williams, though, said "cooler heads" could prevail in splitting the difference to a year.

Asked by a student why Marquette is leaving the Big East, Williams said, "Our destiny was being determined by a sport we don't participate in," Williams said. "That was unsettling to me. This way, we control our destiny. We also wanted to align with schools that have the same objectives in mind. It's rare that a group of schools can redefine who they are."

Williams reiterated that enough sponsors are jumping on board to make the new league viable. A TV contract with Fox should more than match what Marquette is currently receiving from the Big East.

Williams also made an interesting observation when asked by Gousha about football driving the economics in college sports.

Williams, a two-time All-America lineman at Notre Dame and a five-year NFL veteran who once practiced law in Indianapolis, said allowing football to take the lead could be an unwise decision 10 or 15 years down the road.

"First, let me say that I absolutely love the game of football," Williams said. "It's a team game, a ballet in the rarest sense. It is an unbelievable teaching tool. But we've got to recognize the risk."

As a former player and lawyer, Williams said he has been called to testify about head injuries in lawsuits against the NFL. He said some of his former college and pro teammates suffer from brain injury.

"The end result is not worth the end result of the game," Williams said. "We shouldn't be solely focused on the pursuit of football dollars. Football may not be around in its current form of prosperity.

A new field house?

Williams also said Marquette needs a new indoor facility, primarily for its top-level soccer teams to train year-round, but also for recreational sports.

"I might have gotten in trouble for advocating it so soon, but it's something we need," he said. "We sorely need that."

Williams said a new fieldhouse would keep Marquette competitive on the national level in men's and women's soccer, as well as women's volleyball.

Because land is at a premium around campus, he said he would work with the city of Milwaukee in trying to push the project along.

About Michael Hunt

Michael Hunt is a former sports columnist and reporter for the Journal Sentinel.